New Brunswick woman makes 175th blood donation

A New Brunswick woman has just given blood for the 175th time.

Donna Moore of Rothesay, N.B., made the milestone donation Friday morning at the Canadian Blood Services collection centre in Saint John, N.B.

She says she can remember her very first donation about 55 years ago, when she was only 17-years-old.

“If you were under 18, you had to have your parent’s permission and my parents really didn’t want me to do this,” says Moore. “They were afraid. But I insisted. They did sign and I gave at Frosh Week of UNBSJ in 1967.”

“I just felt it was something that I could do.”

Donna’s early desire to donate later turned into a true habit when her children realized they could get a free snack out of their mother making the contribution.

“That really was what got me into the routine,” she says.

Donna herself relied on Canada’s blood supply in March 1992 after suffering a broken femur, the whole time wondering when she’d be able to donate again.

Travel restrictions and other medical procedures have prevented Donna from donating over the years, but she’s been adamant to schedule blood donations when able.

Her accomplishment of giving blood 175 times is all the more extraordinary, considering men can make a whole blood donation every 56 days, with women being able to every 84 days.

“Female donors can donate four times a year, so it takes of lot of years to get up to that 175 donation mark,” says Brandy Peters of Canadian Blood Services. “This is a lifetime commitment of dedication, and we just want to commend donors like Donna who continue supporting us and patients in need.”

Donna is keen to post on social media whenever she makes a donation in hopes of encouraging others to do the same if they can. She also reminds people to check with Canadian Blood Services to see if any recent criteria changes may allow them to contribute.

As for her next milestone, Donna has set a goal of reaching 200 donations over the next decade.

“God willing, with good health,” she says.